Semiconductor devices are used in wide variety of applications including diodes, photodetector, photocells, transistors, integrated circuits etc. Silicon and germanium are commonly used in such electronic devices. In particular, silicon is the most widely used material in semiconductor devices due to its low cost, relatively simple processing, and useful temperature range. Further, the electronic properties and behavior of silicon and germanium can be relatively easily controlled by the addition of doping elements, for example, in the manufacture of P-I-N and N-I-P diodes.
Recent research has focused on making devices in which a layer of germanium is deposited over the entire surface of a silicon wafer. However, dislocations can occur due to lattice mismatches between the silicon and germanium layers. As a result, the electronic properties of such devices have been less than desired.